The Central Catholic cross-country team wins their fifth 6A title in a row.

There were two Holy War football games in Oregon this fall, with a major turnabout from the first to the second. Early in the season, Jesuit pounded Central Catholic 56-19 in the annual game between crosstown Catholic high school rivals. But in the quarterfinals of the 6A playoffs Nov. 18, the Rams won 21-9 when it counted most, with a few bursts from running back Amari Hale and stingy defense in the second half. Central Catholic went on to defeat Tigard in a thrilling double overtime semifinal game. The 6A final was set for noon Saturday, Dec. 3, at Providence Park against West Linn.Friday, December 9, 2016

When catastrophic floods devastated Louisiana last summer, Cristo Rey Baton Rouge Franciscan High School was forced to close its doors just four days after opening.

Cristo Rey schools around the country, including De La Salle North High School in Portland, responded with fundraising efforts and support. De La Salle came up with a creative fundraising campaign and accompanying video, posted on Facebook.Friday, December 9, 2016

OREGON CITY — Some hopped, others slithered or trotted, but all animals were welcome at this year’s blessing of the animals at St. John the Apostle School. Even stuffed animals could line up, with a little help, for a blessing from Father Maxy D’Costa, pastor of St. John the Apostle Parish. As students, staff and guests sang, dogs, cats, bunnies and caterpillars gathered on the school playground with their humans to be prayed over.Friday, December 9, 2016

As of Nov. 26, Father John Arcidiacono was assigned to serve at St. Joseph Parish in Salem. Father Arcidiacono has made the transition to St. Joseph after serving as parochial vicar at Immaculate Conception Parish in Stayton.Tuesday, December 6, 2016

The street corner outside of St. André Bessette Parish in Portland was lined with parishioners waving boxers, briefs and signs Nov. 23.

This event, the second annual “Pantaloons Rally,” was created to draw the attention of Portlanders — which it surely did. Signs asked commuters for help providing basic hygiene items like underwear for homeless and impoverished residents of the Old Town neighborhood.Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Father Amancio Rodrigues is inviting relatives, friends and former parishioners for a celebration of his 50th anniversary of ordination with a Mass of thanksgiving at noon Saturday, Dec. 17, at Our Lady of Sorrows Church, Southeast 52nd and Woodstock, Portland, followed by a luncheon in the parish gymnasium.Monday, December 5, 2016

Jesuit High School senior Emma Hinson will join 42 of the nation’s elite women’s high school soccer players in the 2016 All-American game held in Raleigh, North Carolina, Dec. 3. Hinson was selected out of thousands of high school players to represent Team West as goalkeeper in the game.Friday, December 2, 2016

They can be annoying and even dangerous, but they offer an opportunity for engagement.

Skateboarders — never a core churchgoing demographic — prize church grounds for open space, ramps and rails. One adventurous Milwaukie skateboarder tried to ride on the iconic sloping roof of St. John the Baptist Church. Not surprising, that ended in injury.Thursday, December 1, 2016

A Catholic couple who have shown up to sell and take tickets for every Jesuit High School football game for the last 20 years got a surprise this season.

The school in Southwest Portland built a new booth for security guards and ticket sales and named it after Bruce and Diann Bruno, members of Holy Trinity Parish in Beaverton.Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Summertime: A chance to sleep in, sample new ice cream flavors and dash through sprinklers. And, if you’re a student at Holy Cross School, immerse yourself in a world of words.

For the fourth year in a row, Holy Cross students logged more hours reading last summer than any school in Oregon, earning the title “Best in State” in the 2016 Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge.Wednesday, November 30, 2016

With trumpet flourishes, Archbishop Alexander Sample processed into Mass with 67 third-graders dressed as saints. The Nov. 6 celebration marked the beginning of festivities for the 100th anniversary for All Saints Parish in Northeast Portland. It’s a parish tradition for third-graders in the school to study the saints, select one to portray and lead the procession in costume for the parish feast day.

With the anniversary theme “Treasuring Our Past – Embracing Our Future,” longtime parishioners and the smallest children in the congregation joined the opening procession.

Queen of Peace Parish in Salem welcomes Julie Hoy for her 20th annual “Giving Thanks” concert. Through music and storytelling, Hoy and her musical friends hope to make the evening one of inspiration.Tuesday, November 22, 2016

In this Year of Mercy, the Archdiocese of Portland suggested “Visiting the Imprisoned” as the focus for August.

St. Henry Parish Justice and Peace Committee members telephoned the nonprofit Phoenix Rising Transitions and that group helped the St. Henry parishioners visit the Columbia River Correctional Institution in Northeast Portland.

At a recent vocations dinner in Bandon, Sr. Michael Francine Duncan, right, was accompanied by Sr. Angeline Sohler, who is shown with her siblings Alice Stadelman and Vivian Linahen. Sr. Angeline entered the convent at 15 years of age, 73 years ago.

Marylhurst University hosts a book launch for “Lives of Museum Junkies” by Marilynne Eichinger. In her book, the former Oregon Museum of Science and Industry president gives a behind-the-scenes view of the hands-on education movement. In addition to serving as president and builder of OMSI, she was founder and past president of Impression Five Science Museum in Lansing, Michigan.Thursday, November 17, 2016

LAKE OSWEGO — The art of shadow play has taken root at Our Lady of the Lake School. For the past two years, first- through seventh-graders have used the form of storytelling to recreate stories from the Old Testament such as the David and Goliath and Noah’s Ark narratives. Thursday, November 17, 2016

A local spiritual group is recognizing holy married couples. The Family of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, founded in 2005 by Deacon An Thanh Vu of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Southeast Portland, is holding up the parents of St. Thérèse as an example. Louis and Zelie Martin were canonized last year. Tuesday, November 15, 2016

St. Rose of Lima Church in Northeast Portland was the location of a world musical premier Sept. 24. During offertory at the 5:30 p.m. Mass, organist John Vergin played “Eucharistia,” a modern classical sacred piece by Portland composer Garry George Wilkes.

Wilkes, 62, grew up at St. Rose and had a career in rock music before returning to his classical and faith roots.

MILWAUKIE — With students and staff watching and with a blessing by Holy Cross Father John Dougherty, pastor of Holy Redeemer Parish, La Salle Catholic College Preparatory opened its new main entrance Sept. 30. The blessing launched a weekend celebration of the school’s 50th anniversary.

The completion of La Salle’s front entrance is the latest in strategic renovations and program enhancements that La Salle has made recently.

Ernie Casciato, a seasoned actor and longtime teacher at La Salle Prep, is director of St. Therese School’s new drama program.

Casciato began his connection to Portland Catholic schools as a student at St. Ignatius, La Salle and the University of Portland. He says his love for drama began at an early age.Wednesday, November 9, 2016

On Oct. 7, the Holy Redeemer School community joined thousands of schools across America and in more than 40 countries worldwide as they celebrated International Walk and Roll to School Day. The fun included Holy Cross Father John Dougherty, pastor of Holy Redeemer Parish, blessing the bikes, shoes and scooters at Peninsula Park. Following a banner made by students, the group paraded the three blocks from the park to school. Of the nearly 70 students who participated, one winner walked away with a prize.Tuesday, November 8, 2016

November is All Souls Month, when the Church faithfully remembers in prayer those who have died. At Holy Redeemer Church in North Portland, a special vespers liturgy has given voice to this prayerful remembering in recent years.

This year’s vespers will be on Sunday, Nov. 13 at 4 p.m. at Holy Redeemer, 25 North Rosa Parks Boulevard. Persons of all faiths are welcome and invited to bring the written names of loved ones.Monday, November 7, 2016

Five young Catholics link arms and run through the North Portland night, intent on finding fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Youth group leaders hid notes and actual pieces of fruit. It was a scavenger hunt with a purpose and it signaled one community’s burgeoning hope for its young people.

When Father Mark Bachmeier arrived as pastor of Holy Cross Parish in 2011, he met with many parishioners. Often, they told him they wanted a more vibrant ministry for high school teens and young adults.Friday, November 4, 2016

“Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” This was the response Jesus gave in Luke 11:28 to a woman who saw Jesus more as a celebrity than as Lord. Jesus reminds us through the Gospels that those who are truly blessed are the ones who not only hear God’s word but also obey it. At St Joseph the Worker Parish in Southeast Portland, parishioners sought to do just that.Thursday, November 3, 2016

BEAVERTON — Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson come to life in Valley Catholic’s fall production of “The Secret Case of Sherlock Holmes.” The high school’s drama department has performances left Nov. 4-6.Wednesday, November 2, 2016

SALEM — St. Joseph Parish here has become an Oregon hub of a Catholic men’s spirituality.

One evening per month for the last year, scores of men have gathered in a darkened church to sing hymns, pray the rosary, adore Jesus in the Eucharist and hear a sermon geared toward males. When they head out the door, they feel ready to be faith leaders at home and workplace.Tuesday, November 1, 2016

LAKE OSWEGO — The art of shadow play has taken root at Our Lady of the Lake School. For the past two years, first- through seventh-graders have used the form of storytelling to recreate stories from the Old Testament — such as the David and Goliath and Noah’s Ark narratives. The stories were recorded and shared with the student body during an assembly.Thursday, October 20, 2016

It was a fitting weather combination for a day that acknowledged both heartbreak and joy. After raining all morning, the drops let up as soggy but smiley students wound their way down a muddy incline and gathered with an estimated 400 peers for Mass.

“Today is about amazing kids who get out of bed on a rainy day … to make the world just a little bit better for the kids who can’t get out of bed,” Regina Ellis told the teens. Ellis founded the Children’s Cancer Association more than 20 years ago after losing her 5-year-old daughter, Alexandra, to the disease.

Over the summer, St. John the Apostle School in Oregon City began a playground renovation project. Excavators from Oregon Under Ground installed necessary drainage, a water line and leveled the play area. Portland Road a foundation under the play structure. That made way for Wildwood Playground NW along with Precision Recreation Contractors to install the SurfaceMax rubber tile under the play structure.

SALEM — Salem Catholic Schools Foundation will hold a special Mass celebration on Oct. 30 at the East Salem Community Center.

The Mass is inspired by the foundation’s “Inspire Tour to the Czech Republic” with Archbishop John Vlazny which took place last year. Archbishop Vlazny is the retired archbishop for the Portland archdiocese.

MILWAUKIE — Cranes swung through a cloudless sky on a recent morning at Christ the King Parish. A crew carried slabs of wood and rope, working in the sunshine on a new parish center. The structure, costing just over $3 million, will include a kitchen, cafeteria event and storage space, and a “fireside room,” a peaceful gathering or meeting spot, said Chris George, principal of Christ the King.Monday, October 17, 2016

VERBOORT — Close families are happiest when all members are under one roof. Thanks to plans for a new school building, the tight-knit Visitation community soon hopes to enjoy the gifts of a fully shared space — along with more wiggle room and much-needed upgrades.

A capital campaign was launched in February to fund a new structure for the 133-year-old institution.

Jesuit Father Gregory J. Boyle will be the keynote speaker at Jesuit High School’s 14th annual financial aid luncheon Oct. 17 at the Oregon Convention Center. Father Boyle is founder and executive director of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, which trains and employs former gang members in a range of enterprises and provides critical services to 15,000 men and women each year. Homeboy Industries is among the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation and re-entry programs in the world.Friday, October 14, 2016

MEDFORD — St. Mary’s School is planning a $10 million project that will include the addition of two new buildings and feature a dorm for international students, a STEM center and the school’s first cafeteria. The school intends to break ground next May.Thursday, October 13, 2016

SHERWOOD — Students at St. Francis School set the tone for the new academic year by spending time with Christ early last month.

Led by Father James Herrera, administrator of St. Francis Parish here, youths participated in Benediction and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament to close the first week of school.Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Community of Hope family shelter began remodeling its home in North Portland in May. After five months of construction, the Hope House was dedicated Sept. 29.

Community of Hope was created out of a coalition of local churches, including Holy Cross Parish, seeking to help homeless families in North Portland. In 2014, the group formed to provide classes and transitional housing for homeless mothers, fathers and children.Monday, October 10, 2016

MILWAUKIE — Second-grader Jack Weaver alternately sways and bobs on a large pink ball, but his eyes look straight ahead.

His attention is on Patty Gabrish, the learning specialist at Christ the King School in Milwaukie.

Gabrish holds up a card with an “a” on it, and Jack loops the shape in the air with his fingers while saying the letter’s name. Then, biting his bottom lip in concentration, he writes the letter on lined paper.Saturday, October 8, 2016

Before they walk and roll their way safely through the city Oct. 7, students from Holy Redeemer School in North Portland will have their shoes, bikes and scooters blessed by Holy Cross Father John Dougherty, pastor of Holy Redeemer Parish. The annual blessing began six years ago and takes place prior to an International Walk and Roll to School Day parade — held in partnership with local public schools. Thursday, October 6, 2016

St. Agatha School in the Sellwood district of Southeast Portland is expanding many of its programs. Internet speed tripled in the building to make way for two new class sets of Chromebooks. Funding for the computers came from a $10,000 grant from the Juan Young Trust. Monday, October 3, 2016